Modern Interpretations Of Cleopatra
Choose one of the modern representations of Cleopatra in film or TV presented in the module materials. How far is this consistent with Roman depictions of her in Book 1, Chapter 1?
The 1934 Cecil B. DeMille interpretation of Cleopatra is a far cry from the historical evidence left behind by Roman scholars, poets and historians. Claudette Colbert's portrayal of the queen sees her as an almost sympathetic character as she is used by Caesar "It wasn't In his arms that he wanted Egypt. It was in his treasury." This greatly contradicts Roman literature which describes her as manipulative and a danger to Rome. When Plutarch describes her first meeting with Julius Caesar he emphasises this when describing how she "captivated Caesar” and how he was …show more content…
This is also supported by the writings of Plutarch, when describing the moments after Cleopatra’s death a dying attendant is quoted as saying her death was "fitting for a princess descended of so many royal …show more content…
Much like Faustus ignoring the warnings voiced by the good angel and his own doubts, the courser ‘like a venturous youth’ plunged the horse into the water. He believed that Faustus was keeping a great ability the horse possessed from him this in turn reflects the attitude of Faustus rebelling against God and the church for keeping the secrets of the universe from him. Furthermore his use of the word ‘purged’ and ‘purgation’ when describing the money paid for the horse ‘h’as purged me of forty dollars’ again this can be related to the soul Faustus has sold to Lucifer. The Horse-Courser is presented as a fool tricked by a deviant being for amusements sake, the irony being that the man that has fooled him has been played by a much more deviant being than himself. All this provides the audience with the opportunity to see Faustus as a rather pathetic figure no smarter than the Horse-Courser and no more likely to claim back what he was so willing to give as
The 1934 Cecil B. DeMille interpretation of Cleopatra is a far cry from the historical evidence left behind by Roman scholars, poets and historians. Claudette Colbert's portrayal of the queen sees her as an almost sympathetic character as she is used by Caesar "It wasn't In his arms that he wanted Egypt. It was in his treasury." This greatly contradicts Roman literature which describes her as manipulative and a danger to Rome. When Plutarch describes her first meeting with Julius Caesar he emphasises this when describing how she "captivated Caesar” and how he was …show more content…
This is also supported by the writings of Plutarch, when describing the moments after Cleopatra’s death a dying attendant is quoted as saying her death was "fitting for a princess descended of so many royal …show more content…
Much like Faustus ignoring the warnings voiced by the good angel and his own doubts, the courser ‘like a venturous youth’ plunged the horse into the water. He believed that Faustus was keeping a great ability the horse possessed from him this in turn reflects the attitude of Faustus rebelling against God and the church for keeping the secrets of the universe from him. Furthermore his use of the word ‘purged’ and ‘purgation’ when describing the money paid for the horse ‘h’as purged me of forty dollars’ again this can be related to the soul Faustus has sold to Lucifer. The Horse-Courser is presented as a fool tricked by a deviant being for amusements sake, the irony being that the man that has fooled him has been played by a much more deviant being than himself. All this provides the audience with the opportunity to see Faustus as a rather pathetic figure no smarter than the Horse-Courser and no more likely to claim back what he was so willing to give as